430 - better, brighter headlights ? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

430 better, brighter headlights ?

Discussion in '360/430' started by janmante, Feb 15, 2021.

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  1. janmante

    janmante Karting
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    Jan 9, 2021
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    jan mante
    we will find out as per the kit seller
    "our 55W HID kit in white, which produces an exceptionally powerful, dense, and wide bright white light without risking any damage to your vehicle, headlight or electrical systems." ( this is what the maker of my kit says ! ) many people use these on all kinds of cars and never report any issues I will confirm it soon enough)
    so you can all rest easy ! ( then )
    No reason to think Ferraris are more susceptible to issues than other cars !
    Ferrari owners, however,are doubtless among the MOST reactionary,over-cautious ,negative and resistant to ANY modification or are the most incurable purists I have ever seen!
     
  2. janmante

    janmante Karting
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    Jan 9, 2021
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    jan mante
     
  3. lkstaack

    lkstaack Formula Junior

    Dec 9, 2020
    252
    San Diego
    Full Name:
    Lars
    I don't have any experience modifying Ferrari headlights to improve nighttime visibility, but I did retrofit xenon projectors into my BMW M3 many years ago.

    HID was relatively rare in the early 2000s, but every enthusiast wanted them. The aftermarket responded with new products. Initial products increased halogen wattage and/or color temperature. Most people who did so were disappointed because, while it usually did increase light output, it didn't improve nighttime visibility. Lighting was often harsh, uneven, and with unintended reflections that fatigued the eye and annoyed oncoming traffic.

    The next products were xenon bulb kits. These kits had real xenon bulbs, igniters, and ballasts, but with bases that fit onto a standard halogen light reflector. Many people reported unfavorable results. Stock wiring sometimes fried because the initial current draw for xenon is high and exceeded wiring capacity. Some stock reflectors melted because of the high level of heat produced. Also, these retrofits often caused headlight fault warnings because they changed the stock current draw.

    Do you remember 15 or so years ago when an approaching car would have annoying, dazzling (and often blue) headlights blinding you? They probably had retrofitted xenon bulbs. It seems that it is very difficult to improve nighttime vision by using bulbs alone. The reflectors and lenses of halogen lights are engineered for halogen bulbs. Lighting irregularities are introduced if you change that.

    Enthusiasts then retrofitted xenon projectors with positive results. The stock projector and bulb was removed and the headlight housing modified to accept projectors from a doner car. New wires with relays removed the burden from stock harnesses. Properly modified lights provided very good results.

    Technology may have changed since I modified my M3 lights 20 years ago. If not, I suspect that shortcut solutions (if people are honest with themselves) will not improve nighttime visibility.
     
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  4. janmante

    janmante Karting
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    Yes you are citing ancient history all our modern Ferraris come w/ HID and projector lights as OEM this ONLY a 20+ watt upgrade to bulb and ballast but it basically doubles light output .
    the higher K colors were a fashion thing and guys jumped on the bandwagon still today some people do it and yes many of the LED and HID retrofits into halogen reflectors do not work well .
    They were not focused well and did scatter light AND whiter light is NOT brighter light ! YOU NEED MORE WATTS ! , LUMENS etc .
    (older folks are conversely deficient in night vision and more sensitive to glare ! so a double whammy ! )
    our modern Ferraris do NOT use halogen, LED lights so your story is just old history ! not applicable thankfully
    No , it IS easy to better light output as long as you stay in the same style the car came w/ ! ( and do not get too greedy ! )

    for all the OLDER cars equipped w/ halogen? we fit 100/160 watt H-4 bulbs ( about 3X stock watts per side ) and wire direct to the battery w/ heavy gauge wire and HD solid-state relays , and ceramic socket plugs ( plastic melts ) this works well ( some headlights will melt, glass lenses helps ! )

    The F430 with these modest HID upgrades should be fine. too many chicken little the sky is falling on FC TBH !
     
  5. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    17,913
    USA
    Do not be deceived by Kelvin ratings. You must balance that information with Color Rendering Index ratings. Perfect CRI is 100. And even a few basis points off can offer disturbing changes/perceptions to the eye. Back in 2006, we sold the most accurate surgical lighting system with a CRI of 95.5 with 3500k. One of our competitors claimed their light was "true daylight" with a rating of 91 CRI and 5000k. It looked very blue and on the surgical field, the tissues were not accurately represented. Many did not notice, but if I brought my portable surgical light into the room and placed them side by side, the difference was night and day.
     
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  6. janmante

    janmante Karting
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    Jan 9, 2021
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    jan mante
    thank you I will indeed ck out the true rendered color and IF it is not good I will try the next lower K color bulbs !
    How can I empirically measure the true K output ?
    what type of measurement device do i need ?
    I have light meters to det lumens ( several different kinds )
     

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